Colombian court upholds extradition of Uribe ‘parapolitics’ witness

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Colombia’s Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld a government decision to extradite an ex-paramilitary who has accused ex-president Alvaro Uribe of links to paramilitary groups.

The court said that former AUC commander Jose Gelves Albarracin, who claimed to have given money to Uribe’s 2002 election campaign, would be extradited to the United States on charges of drug trafficking.

According to newspaper El Espectador, the ex-paramilitary, also known as “El Canoso,” was one of the key witnesses in the process against the ex-president of Colombia’s congress, Javier Caceres, who was sentenced to nine years in prison for ties to the AUC.

Albarracin has previously claimed to have been a “personal friend” of Uribe’s sons Geronimo and Tomas, who he accused of having ties to ex-politician Hector Ignacio Rodriguez, extradited to the U.S. for drug trafficking earlier this year.